Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is a musical in two acts with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Douglas Carter Beane based partly on Hammerstein's 1957 television adaptation. The story is derived from the fairy tale Cinderella, particularly the French version Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre, by Charles Perrault. It concerns a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and selfish stepsisters. She dreams of a better life, and with the help of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella is transformed into an elegant young lady and is able to attend the ball to meet her Prince. In this version, however, she opens the Prince's eyes to injustice in his kingdom.
Rodgers and Hammerstein originally wrote the songs for a 1957 television broadcast starring Julie Andrews, and it was remade twice for television and adapted for the stage in various versions through the decades. The 2013 adaptation was the first version of Cinderella with the Rodgers and Hammerstein score mounted on Broadway. The new book by Beane makes the Prince an orphan and introduces several new characters, including a sinister regent and an idealistic revolutionary, and makes one of the stepsisters sympathetic. The score features several additional Rodgers and Hammerstein songs from their catalog. The production originally starred Laura Osnes in the title role and Santino Fontana as the Prince and ran for 770 performances. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning one, for Best Costume Design. North American tours and international productions followed.
Background
The original 1957 broadcast starred Julie Andrews as Cinderella and Jon Cypher as the Prince. More than 107 million viewers saw the broadcast.Gans, Andrew. "Lost Cinderella Footage On View at NYC's Museum of TV & Radio" , Playbill.com, June 20, 2002, accessed December 22, 2012Julie Andrews: Awards & Nominees, Emmys.com, accessed December 22, 2012 Its extraordinary popularity led to consideration of a Broadway adaptation as soon as early 1958, but none materialized.Fink, Bert. "Behind the Creation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Instantly Classic Cinderella for CBS", Playbill, July 22, 2020 The musical was staged at the London Coliseum in 1958 in a holiday pantomime adaptation that also used songs from Me & Juliet."Cinderella – History", R&H Theatricals, accessed June 10, 2013 Stage adaptations began to appear in U.S. theatres by 1961.
After the musical's success in its initial broadcast and as a stage production, and since, in 1957, the original TV version was not able to be filmed for rebroadcast, CBS mounted another production in 1965 with a new script that hewed closer to the traditional tale but retained nearly all of the original music."Richard Rodgers recreates a Cinderella to be remembered", San Mateo Times, February 19, 1966, "TV Week" section, p. 54. Lesley Ann Warren played the title role; a scene early in the first act was added in which the Prince meets Cinderella and they admire each other's kindness. Another hit, this was re-broadcast almost annually over the next decade. Stage adaptations continued: New York City Opera produced the musical in 1993 and revived it several times, and a US tour played from 2000 to 2001,Jones, Kenneth. "Being Stepmom Is Real Drag for Everett Quinton in 2000-2001 Cinderella Tour" , Playbill.com, October 19, 2000, accessed December 16, 2011Jones, Kenneth. The Shoe Fits: R&H's Cinderella Begins Tour Nov. 28 in FL Playbill, November 28, 2000 stopping at The Theater at Madison Square Garden."It's Possible!": Cinderella, With Laura Osnes, Victoria Clark and Santino Fontana, Premieres on Broadway Jan. 25 , Playbill, January 25, 2013Jones, Kenneth. Tour of R&H's Cinderella, With Sigler, Kitt and Quinton, Lands in NYC May 3-13, Playbill, May 3, 2001 Meanwhile, a 1997 television re-make was adapted by Robert L. Freedman. Its racially diverse cast featured Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother, Bernadette Peters as her stepmother, and Paolo Montalban as the Prince.A Cinderella Story Featurette: Hosted by Bernadette Peters (Available on the DVD)"Articles & Interviews, "It's Possible: 60 Million Viewers Go to the Ball with Cinderella", Volume 5, Issue 2, Winter, January 1, 1998". rnh.com, accessed February 15, 2011 A 30-week Asian tour starred Lea Salonga, beginning in 2008, and an all-female production of the musical in Japan in 2008 featured J-Pop group Morning Musume and veteran members of the Takarazuka Revue. Hello! Project official announcement. Koma Stadium official website.
In Douglas Carter Beane's adaptation of the story, Cinderella opens Prince Topher's eyes to injustice in the kingdom. The Prince's parents have died, leaving the kingdom in the hands of a villainous regent, who has been the Prince's mentor and has duped his young charge into approving oppressive acts against the peasants.Brantley, Ben. "Gowns from the House of Sincere & Snark", The New York Times, March 3, 2013 The rebel Jean-Michel, a new character, and stepsister Gabrielle are in love, and they demand reforms; Cinderella uses some of her moments with the prince to encourage him to listen to Jean-Michel's ideas. The book is expanded to a typical Broadway running time, with new scenes such as a second palace banquet, and, besides the best-known songs from the original version, the score adds several songs from the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalog, including "Me, Who Am I?" (cut from Me & Juliet), "Now Is the Time" and "Loneliness of Evening" (cut from South Pacific; the latter was used in the 1965 version of Cinderella), "He Was Tall" (cut from The King and I), and "There's Music in You" (written for the film Main Street to Broadway and used in the 1997 version).Hathaway, Brad. "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, CD release", DCTheatreScene.com, May 28, 2013, accessed February 14, 2015"Cinderella, Starring Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana, Sets Dates at the Broadway Theatre", Broadway.com, August 7, 2012 The show was given workshop productions in 2012.Hetrick, Adam. "Broadway-Bound Cinderella Will Get Workshop With Victoria Clark, Harriet Harris, Ann Harada, Peter Bartlett" , Playbill.com, June 28, 2012Portantiere, Michael. "Rodgers & Hammerstein Love Laura Osnes" , BroadwayStars.com, March 26, 2012
Productions The musical's first Broadway production began previews on January 25, 2013, and opened on March 3, 2013, at The Broadway Theatre.Hetrick, Adam. "Now Is the Time: 'Cinderella', Starring Laura Osnes, Opens on Broadway March 3" , Playbill, March 3, 2013 Mark Brokaw directed the production, with Josh Rhodes choreographing, and the original cast included Laura Osnes in the title role, Santino Fontana as the Prince, Victoria Clark as Crazy Marie/the Fairy Godmother, Harriet Harris as Ella's stepmother, Peter Bartlett as Sebastian, The Prime Minister, Ann Harada and Marla Mindelle as stepsisters Charlotte and Gabrielle, and Greg Hildreth as the rebel Jean-Michel. Designers included Anna Louizos (sets), William Ivey Long (costumes), and Kenneth Posner (lighting).Geselowitz, Gabriela. "Full Broadway Cast Announced for 'Cinderella', Starring Laura Osnes", Broadway.com, November 21, 2012 The show's initial reviews were mixed.Jones, Chris. "Heavy themes make this Cinderella too slippery", Chicago Tribune, March 3, 2013Gardner, Elysa. "Cinderella casts a new spell on Broadway", USA Today, March 3, 2013"Review Roundup: 'Cinderella' Opens on Broadway - All the Reviews!", broadwayworld.com, March 3, 2013
Rebecca Luker replaced Clark from September 2013 to January 2014."Rebecca Luker to Replace Victoria Clark in Cinderella September 6 thru January 19", August 22, 2013, accessed September 10, 2013 Carly Rae Jepsen and Fran Drescher were replacements for Ella and the Stepmother, both making their Broadway debuts, from February 2014 to June 2014.Gioia, Michael. "Carly Rae Jepsen and Fran Drescher Extend Runs in Cinderella" , Playbill.com, March 13, 2014"Fran Drescher Extends Run in Cinderella Through 6/29", Broadwayworld.com, May 13, 2014 Paige Faure stepped into the role of Ella, and Nancy Opel played the Stepmother, from June through September 2014.O'Hanlon, Dom. "Paige Faure & Nancy Opel to join cast of Cinderella" , New York Theatre Guide, May 22, 2014 Keke Palmer, Sherri Shepherd, and Judy Kaye joined the cast as Ella, the Stepmother, and the Fairy Godmother in September 2014."Keke Palmer Will Make Broadway Debut in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella this Fall", August 4, 2014, accessed August 29, 2014; and "The View's Sherri Shepherd to Star as 'Madame' in Broadway's Cinderella This Fall!", August 5, 2014, accessed August 29, 2014"It's Possible! Judy Kaye Will Join Cinderella Cast as 'Fairy Godmother'", August 11, 2014, accessed August 29, 2014 A report in The Guardian commented, regarding Palmer, that "casting an African American actor as such an iconic – and typically pale – character is emblematic of the progress Broadway is making, slowly and haltingly, in employing actors of color in a broader array of parts."Soloski, Alexis. "Broadway crowns first black Cinderella – but progress on diversity is too slow", The Guardian, September 9, 2014 On September 23, 2014, Lesley Ann Warren joined the cast during the curtain call to celebrate the coming 50th-anniversary of the 1965 television version."It's Possible! Lesley Ann Warren Returns to Her Cinderella Roots Onstage at the Broadway Theatre", Broadway World, September 26, 2014 NeNe Leakes replaced Shepherd from November 2014. The production closed on January 3, 2015, after 41 previews and 770 regular performances.Ng Philiana. "NeNe Leakes to Make Broadway Debut in Cinderella", Hollywood Reporter, September 3, 2014
A North American tour began on October 10, 2014, in Providence, Rhode Island,"Cinderella National Tour to Launch 10/10 in Rhode Island; First Wave of Dates Announced!", Broadwayworld.com, April 28, 2014 and closed in May 2016."CINDERELLA National Tour Recoups!", Broadway World, April 27, 2015"Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Tour", Internet Broadway Database, accessed May 17, 2016 Faure starred as Ella opposite Andy Jones as Topher."Additional casting has been announced for the national tour of Cinderella" , Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, July 28, 2014 Fran Drescher reprised the role of the Stepmother during the tour's engagement in Los Angeles in March and April 2015."Fran Drescher to Reprise Role in Cinderella at the Ahmanson This Month", Broadway World, March 9, 2015 The tour recouped its investment after six months. A non-Equity North American tour began on September 27, 2016, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and closed on April 28, 2019, in Monterrey, Mexico. It was directed by Gina Rattan and choreographed by Lee Wilkins.Viagas, Robert. "Cinderella Tour Re-Launches Today", Playbill, August 15, 2016